Frederick County Slaying "Five-Headed Monster" form of Government

FREDERICK, MD - The form of government in Frederick County, Maryland will be changing.

County voters overwhelmingly approved moving from a commissioner form, with five members of equal power, to a charter form, with a county executive and a seven-member county council.

"Frederick County, in my opinion, was at a crossroads," says Republican Blaine Young, president of the Frederick County Board of Commissioners. "Charter, in my opinion, is more transparent in terms of laying out the vision of who will be in charge of the executive functions of the county."

Five county council members will come from districts and two will be at large.

The county executive will receive $95,000 a year, while county council members will get $22,500 a year.

"The county commissioner form of government is a very, very frustrating form of government for me," Young said. "I've called it a five-headed monster, and the people of Frederick County slayed the five-headed monster and will transition to charter with a county executive."

62 percent of people voted for charter government. The change won't go into effect until the next election. The new county executive and county council will take office in December 2014.

"It's time," Young said. "Frederick County is 660 square miles, the largest land mass in the State of Maryland, with 240,000 residents, and the 8th largest county in the State of Maryland. First through 7th all have charter. Frederick is ready, and the voters felt it was time."

Young says he's not interested in becoming county executive.

Several Frederick County legislators have spoken out against charter government, include Delegate Michael Hough (R). He believes it could leader to a bigger government and less oversight.